The selection of the speaker for the Manufacturer & Business Association's annual event tends to cause a stir.

Association spokeswoman Tammy Polanski saw it firsthand when the association announced former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But nothing, Polanski said, compared to the excitement after announcing Wednesday that this year's speaker would be "Duck Dynasty" co-star Willie Robertson.

"I can't tell you what the excitement has been like," she said. "I don't think it's like any other year. I have never seen anything like today."

Robertson, who is among the mostly bearded cast of the hit A&E show, is also the chief executive of Duck Commander, a duck call and sporting goods company that his father, Phil Robertson, started in 1973. Phil Robertson drew a mix of outrage and support for negative comments he made about homosexuals in a recent interview with GQ magazine.

Polanski said Phil Robertson's remarks weren't considered in the decision by the association's board of governors. He was the starting quarterback at Louisiana Tech while Terry Bradshaw, a future NFL Hall of Famer, was backup.

"That wasn't part of the consideration," Polanski said. "This was a decision to bring in a CEO of a multimillion sporting goods company to speak to a business audience and share his thoughts.

"I think the board of governors made a phenomenal decision," she continued. "When you think about manufacturing or any other type of business, so many of them started at the kitchen table."

Despite some negative public reaction to Phil Robertson, who was temporarily banned and then readmitted to the show by A&E, Polanski said she hasn't heard any negative reaction to this year's choice of speaker.

"I can honestly tell you, 'Not a peep,'" she said. "It has been exactly the opposite."

This year's event will be held May 17 at Erie Insurance Arena. The event was moved from its usual spot at Erie's Bayfront Convention Center because of a scheduling conflict.

Dinner tickets, for members of the association and their guests, start at $1,500 for a table of eight.

The association is expecting a sellout crowd of about 1,500 at the event, Polanski said.

Wednesday was also the same day that season five of "Duck Dynasty" premiered on A&E.

JIM MARTIN can be reached at 870-1668 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNmartin.